The Abundance of Choice

In the Paradox of Choice, it talks about the abundance of choices. One of the examples of over abundance included students sampling chocolate. The first group tasted a small amount of chocolate while the second group sampled a large amount. These students were then asked to pick a favorite and rate how much they preferred it over the others. Lastly, they were asked if they would be willing to purchase any chocolate. Surprisingly, the second group that sampled the large amount of chocolate rated their favorite lower then the first group. Also, they were less likely to purchase chocolate. The second groups' favorites were never negative, just less favorable.

One would think that more choices would yield a higher rating, because the students could find a specific chocolate that is more tailored to their taste. However, with less options to choose from, it created a higher marginal utility for the students which caused a higher rating.

Is this true that less is always more? Maybe to a point. There is always someone who is overwhelmed by the number of choices while another is unsatisfied. For example, my dad just wants regular jeans and doesn't understand why there are so many to choose from. Myself on the other hand, can go in an entire store and not find a single pair of jeans.

This theory leaves marketers and companies in a tough spot. How many options are too many? Honestly, there is probably never a correct number well at least not for long, because consumers are constantly changing. Overall, the abundance of choice is just another paradox for marketing majors to decipher.